When a chest of gold and silver coins is up for grabs, all hell can break loose. And usually does. Academicians Ben & Julia discover this in a coded message from a student who has turned up missing. After they break the code they find themselves in a life-and-death struggle with a band of cutthroat militiamen who are after the same treasure the missing student’s message put Ben & Julia after. To keep ahead of their murderous pursuers the pair must rely on their wits, a former student and even the town fool. Blind luck doesn’t hurt either. Using faked documents, a series of desperate and unexpected aggressive moves, clever disguises and gutsy maneuvers, they careen across West Virginia and western Maryland, pursued by armed killers. Finally they zero in on the buried chest. But they never expected it to be their potential burial site